Mystery as fifteen elephants drop dead after eating tomatoes from nearby farms
Fifteen elephants have died of suspected cyanide poisoning in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park after eating tomatoes from nearby farms.
An investigation is ongoing into how the toxic substance found its way to an ecosystem where wild and domestic animals coexist alongside agricultural land. However, local growers are disputing claims that their produce is responsible for the deaths.
The elephant deaths have intensified concerns over growing human-wildlife conflict in the region due to expanding agricultural activities near Amboseli Park.
The deaths also cast a shadow over Kenya’s efforts to rebuild its elephant population from historic lows to more than 36,000 individuals by reducing poaching and protecting elephants.
Elvis Muchai has farmed on the edge of Amboseli for two decades. In all that time, he said, he has never heard of farmers poisoning wildlife.
That is why he was sceptical of reports last month that the 15 elephants had died from suspected cyanide poisoning after consuming tomatoes believed to have been contaminated with the chemical.
Muchai, who farms tomatoes in the Kimana area, said local communities have long coexisted with elephants despite suffering repeated crop losses when the animals cross the park’s electric fence and raid farms, particularly during the dry season.
“We are used to the animals eating from our farms,” he said.
Last month, the Kenya Wildlife Service announced that 15 elephants had died in the Amboseli ecosystem in a span of a month. Preliminary laboratory tests detected cyanide, while postmortem examinations found tomatoes in the animals’ stomachs.
The head of veterinary services at Kenya’s wildlife agency, Dr Isaac Lekolool, said the elephants had shown signs of “paralysis and difficulty breathing” before they died. Initial tests pointed to cyanide poisoning, although further laboratory tests are being done to determine the concentration of cyanide.
“We are yet to find out where this cyanide came from,” Lekolool said, adding that the elephants had also consumed watermelons.
He urged caution over the handling and use of pesticides on farms.
Kimana, which borders Amboseli, is one of Kenya’s most productive agricultural areas, growing tomatoes, onions and French beans that are transported to markets in the capital, Nairobi.
The samples tested for toxic chemicals were obtained from the elephants’ stomach contents and the analysis of blood samples is ongoing, Dr Lekolool said. He disputed earlier claims that cyanide, which is regulated by the government for use in mining, may have been present in the park due to illegal mining.
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